February 18, 2007 - 4:00pm
Living and working in a small rural village in India was “a profound, life-changing experience” for Cherelynn Jamont.
“I was an outsider in every way because no one shared my language or culture,” said Jamont, a fourth-year Global Studies student at Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo. “Now I understand the multiple barriers and challenges some people face in their communities daily.”
Jamont was one of three Malaspina students selected for overseas internships under the federal government’s Students for Development program. The three month internships, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and managed by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), allow senior-level university students to work with partner organizations in developing countries.
Jamont studied poverty and health issues at the Delta Training Centre in southern India in the Kadalure Village, south of the major city of Chennai (formerly Madras). The campus hopes to establish a local community health care facility, and her role was to collect data and write a report to determine whether a hospital would alleviate some of the poverty and health problems.
One of Jamont’s most interesting experiences was interacting with the Dalit - formerly known as the “untouchables” – a group marginalized from their own society. She also taught English to students at the Delta Centre School of Nursing. It was her first trip outside of North America or Europe, and the full impact “is still sinking in.”
The internship increased Jamont's understanding of how grassroots development projects and non-governmental organizations work within local communities. “I saw a lot of poverty,” she said. “I don’t know how, but I want to find a way to make a difference.”
Malaspina Global Studies students Putu Kristen Bristow and Samantha Letourneau were also selected for CIDA funded internships. Letourneau examined the need for community planning in Belize, while Bristow is currently in Cambodia where she’s helping to eradicate human trafficking.
“Putu is working with an organization called End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking (ECPAT) through Cambodia’s Rural Aid Organization (RAO),” explained Malaspina Global Studies professor Dr. Catherine Schittecatte. “Trafficking in human beings is a growing global human rights issue and children are particularly vulnerable.”
Bristow is writing a three-year strategic plan in collaboration with RAO’s executive committee and staff, and teaching English. She's also facilitating strong relationships between the RAO and several potential donor, partner, and advisor organizations.
Schittecatte said it’s unique that a small undergraduate university-college like Malaspina received three CIDA funded student internships in one year.
“There’s a limited number of funded internships per region distributed across Canada, and typically, this is the kind of experience you’d see offered to graduate students at much larger universities,” she said. “Malaspina’s International Education department’s Study Abroad program staff did a fantastic job helping our Global Studies students apply for and obtain these opportunities.”
Overseas internships are a key part of the Global Studies program, Schittecatte added, and Malaspina students get full course credit for their field work. “It’s important for my students to have concrete experiences outside of the classroom, especially if they want a career related to issues of global relevance," she said. "Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on work experience in a developing country, and apply what they’ve learned to real world situations.”
Editor’s note: To find out more about internships for Malaspina students, go to www.viu.ca/globalstudies or www.viu.ca/studyabroad.
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